What Are IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications?

The IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (JSAC) is a peer-reviewed periodical published by the IEEE Communications Society that organizes its issues around specific, focused topics drawn from across the communications and networking disciplines. Rather than accepting open submissions on any communications subject, JSAC assembles each issue in response to a published Call-for-Papers that defines a single technical theme. The journal has been in continuous publication since 1983 and stands among the premier peer-reviewed venues in its field.

The journal's distinctive structure reflects a deliberate editorial philosophy: concentrating peer-reviewed work into thematic collections makes each issue a standalone reference on its chosen subject. Readers who follow communications research use JSAC issues on millimeter-wave propagation, machine learning in networks, or optical communications as focused surveys of where a sub-field stands at a given point in time. Each such issue, once published, functions as a reference that remains useful to researchers years after its release.

Thematic Issue Format

Every JSAC issue is organized around a single technical topic, and each paper within that issue is submitted in response to a Call-for-Papers specific to that theme. Guest editors, designated in the Call-for-Papers, manage the peer-review process for their issue. This model concentrates expertise at the editorial level: the guest editors are typically active researchers in the sub-area being addressed. The technical topics covered by JSAC span the full breadth of communications and networking, from physical-layer modulation techniques to protocol design, security, and network architecture.

Scope and Coverage

Two or more issues each year are dedicated to the Optical Communications and Networking Series, reflecting the sustained volume of research activity at the intersection of photonic transmission and network control. Other recurring themes include wireless communications, machine-type communications, network function virtualization, and the intersection of artificial intelligence with communications systems. The journal's coverage history runs from its founding in 1983 through the present, providing an archival record of how the field has evolved from narrowband circuit-switched networks to broadband wireless and software-defined infrastructure.

Editorial Standards and Access

Manuscripts submitted to JSAC undergo single-anonymous peer review, in which reviewers evaluate scope, novelty, validity, and clarity. The Editor-in-Chief is accountable for acceptance decisions and oversees the review process to minimize bias. Papers are screened for plagiarism before acceptance, and IEEE policy prohibits reviewers from processing manuscript content through public AI platforms, treating that as a breach of confidentiality. The journal is indexed in IEEE Xplore, where the full archive is accessible to subscribers.

Applications

IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications is used across a range of research and professional contexts, including:

• Foundational reference for doctoral research in communications engineering
• Benchmark source for industry researchers tracking advances in wireless standards
• Curriculum support in graduate-level communications and networking courses
• Reference for standards bodies developing specifications in 5G, 6G, and optical networking
• Citation baseline for journal and conference program committees assessing research contributions